Kate Beatty and Qian Huang, faculty affiliated with the East Tennessee State University College of Public Health’s Center for Rural Health and Research, conducted a webinar with the Rural Health Research Gateway titled, “Examining the Burden of Public Stigma Associated With Mental Illness in the Rural United States.” Alana Knudson, Director of Director of NORC's Walsh Center for Rural Health Analysis, was also a presenter.
The prevalence of any mental illness, excluding substance use disorder, increased from 17.7% in 2008 to 20.6% in 2019 among adults in the U.S. Stigma associated with any mental illness is an increasingly important social driver of health. Public stigma refers to a unique set of beliefs and attitudes around mental illness that can lead to fear, discrimination, and other adverse consequences towards those living with any mental illness. It can also impact seeking of treatment and can worsen symptoms of mental illness due to feelings of isolation and loneliness.
This study examined public stigma associated with mental illness in rural versus non-rural communities using a nationally representative panel-based survey. Differences in stigmatizing attitudes and beliefs were analyzed by age, gender, race/ethnicity, and experience with mental illness (personal or knowing someone). The speakers also introduced their latest study exploring rural suicide mortality rates. This study examines the variation in suicide rates by geography and explores factors contributing to differential rates in urban and rural areas in the U.S. from 2018 to 2021.